7,000-year-old goat leather from Spain: ancient DNA results

A team led by Jolijn A. M. Erven of University College Dublin has obtained genome-wide data from a fragment of tanned goat leather found in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Granada, Spain). The study was published in PloS one on 4 November 2026. doi.org Radiocarbon dating puts the specimen, associated with an Early Neolithic context, at about 7,250–7,000 years old. doi.org The authors named the sample Murciélagos1. The authors are affiliated with institutions in Ireland, France, the UK and Spain.

The leather and its context

Archaeozoological analysis showed clear evidence of tanning and anthropogenic modification of the skin. doi.org According to the study's press release, the piece was probably part of a garment or protective covering, was perforated, and was buried alongside human remains.

Well-preserved ancient DNA is generally limited to cold and dry environments, and examples from warm regions are much rarer. By the authors' assessment, Murciélagos1 is one of the oldest sets of nuclear genome data from organic remains outside high-altitude and high-latitude regions. doi.org

Genetic results

The genome-wide data show that the leather comes from a domestic goat of European ancestry. doi.org Comparison with modern goats revealed the highest affinity to the Bermeya breed from northern Spain. The authors interpret this as genetic connectivity in goat herds from the Neolithic to present-day Iberia. doi.org Both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA were recovered. The material is extensively fragmented, but sufficient for identification of the animal as a domestic goat rather than a wild Iberian ibex.

No African genetic ancestry was found in the sample, in contrast to modern European goats. The authors caution that the genetic data are incomplete, so this observation has limits.

The leather also contained fragmented DNA of human and canid origin. The human DNA likely reflects handling or wearing of the leather, while the canid DNA indicates post-depositional disturbance. doi.org The authors conclude that ancient DNA analysis is valuable in exceptional cases of organic preservation. doi.org

Genome data from 7,000-year-old goat leather in Spain show kinship with the Bermeya breed

The leather and its context

Genetic results

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